A gene change in the body's reproductive cells (egg or sperm) that becomes incorporated into the DNA of every cell in the body of offspring; germline mutations are passed on from parents to offspring. Also called hereditary mutation.

a change in the basic coding sequence of DNA that is inherited in all cells. Can be associated with an inherited disease (e.g., Huntington’s chorea) including rather rare forms of cancer (e.g.,breast cancer occurring in women that carry abnormal forms of the BRAC-1 and BRAC-2 genes).